Preliminary Approval Granted to Settlement of Hydrogenated Oils Case Against Quaker Oats

The parties to In re Quaker Oats Labeling Litigation, No. 10cv0502 (N.D. Cal.), which relates to the inclusion of partially hydrogenated oils (PHOs) in Quaker Oat's products, sought preliminary approval of a settlement agreement. Under the terms of the agreement, Quaker Oats has agreed to remove PHOs from its products by the end of 2014 and will thereafter label any products containing trace amounts of PHOs as containing "dietarily insignificant amount of trans fat." The settlement class is a Rule 23(b)(2) class, so most of the relief is injunctive, although Quaker Oats agrees to pay for class notice and attorney fees totaling $880,000. Order.